Wyld Stallyns fans around the world shouted a collective “Excellent!” when news broke at the Cannes Film Festival in May that Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter were getting the band back together for a third time-traveling Bill & Ted adventure. But when Yahoo Entertainment caught up with Reeves recently to discuss his new thriller, Siberia, the actor had some developments to share about long-awaited Bill & Ted 3 actually happening. “I don’t know if it’s a reality,” Reeves cautions. “We’ve been trying for a long time to get that film made, and it still has its challenges.”

The John Wick star is quick to add that none of those challenges are creative, though. “I really love the characters, and I think we have a good story to tell. Part of it is show business stuff — financing, rights, deals. Nothing creatively.” Asked how he plans to approach the task of playing an older — and maybe wiser? — Ted “Theodore” Logan, Reeves says he’s still figuring that part out. “It’ll be interesting to see what that’s like,” he said. “There’d be a lot about him that would be the same, I’m sure; his kind of optimistic naïveté in the face of the darkness will still be there. He has a child now, so I’m sure he’s matured.”

Siberia, which opens in theaters and On-Demand/Digital HD today, is also a mature star turn for Reeves, providing him with a dramatic respite in between slam-bang John Wick adventures. Written by Scott B. Smith — a novelist and screenwriter whose credits include A Simple Plan and The Ruins — the Matthew Ross-directed film follows diamond merchant Lucas Hill (Reeves) as he embarks on a risky scheme to find Russian buyers for a set of rare gems. While in Siberia, he strikes up an ill-fated romance with small-town café owner Katya (Ana Ularu) that endangers both of their lives.

Keanu Reeves and co-star Ana Ularu in Siberia. (Photo: Saban Films)

Unlike the rough-and-tumble action heroes on Reeves’s résumé — think Jack Tavern, Neo, or John Wick — Lucas is more of an ordinary guy trapped in an increasingly desperate situation. “I was trying to have a kind of composed aspect to him, but also breaking down,” the actor explains. “In a way, he’s a composed man of action, but he’s also trying to juggle balls and plates in order to keep everything moving forward and survive. Then it all breaks down and becomes more desperate.”

Obviously, Russia is in the news a lot these days, but Reeves says that the film isn’t intended to be any kind of a real-world statement. “It has a little to do with the idea of Russian oligarchs, but I don’t really think of it as a current political examination.” Politics didn’t really come up at all when the cast and crew went to the historic city of Saint Petersburg to shoot exterior sequences. (Most of the interiors were filmed in Canada.) “It’s a stunning city with great film crews. It was great to experience the passion and enthusiasm of the film people over there.”

Siberia opens in theaters today, and is also available via On-Demand/Digital HD.